I don't know the specifics of the two stories you're talking about Adrienne--sorry, I do try to read as much as possible, but life sometimes gets in the way.

Interesting idea though that negative topics do better than positive. I try to analyse my own stories, to see why one works so much better than another. It seems that the ones that somehow deal with facing or overcoming a weakness/problem/painful issue etc. seem to attract more readers and responses. Somehow they touch a nerve, something we all have in common.

Maybe they could be interpreted as negative, I don't know--maybe it's just the reality of human experience.

By contrast the more upbeat pieces might be fun to read and offer a bit of escape, but they don't touch that deep well of fear and uncertainty that most of us deal with in one way or another.

That's my take anyway.